Carter making good impression at camp
Talented receiver impressing teammates with effort and attitude at training camp
Duron Carter has made an impressive first impression on the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The controversial wide receiver has been an exemplary player and teammate during the opening days of the team’s training camp at the University of Saskatchewan.
There hasn’t been any indication of discord between Carter and his new CFL teammates. He has sacrificed his body while catching footballs and then racing downfield to make blocks for his teammates.
The 26-year-old seems to keep smiling, whether he’s sweating through a drill, sprinting downfield or just chatting with his fellow receivers. He’s also been charming, engaging and entertaining with the media.
“He’s misunderstood, and I’ve said that before,” said quarterback Kevin Glenn, who was Carter’s teammate for a portion of the 2016 season in Montreal.
“People know how I feel about him. I judge a guy, not just by how he is on the field, but off of it.”
Carter is an immensely talented CFL receiver, with 185 catches for 2,877 yards and 17 touchdowns in 40 regular-season games with the Alouettes. But his other side often overshadowed his on-field accomplishments.
He was released by the Alouettes on Oct. 17 after two-plus seasons with Montreal. The Alouettes never explained why Carter was cut, other than head coach Jacques Chapdelaine complaining about a perceived lack of effort by some unidentified players after a 22-8 loss to the host Calgary Stampeders on Oct. 16. Carter and fellow receiver Kenny Stafford were cut the next day.
Earlier in the fall, Carter got into a shouting match with Alouettes quarterback Rakeem Cato.
In the summer, Carter was fined by the Alouettes and suspended for a game by the CFL after bumping into Ottawa Redblacks head coach Rick Campbell after scoring a touchdown.
The Riders gambled on Carter despite those incidents and signed him as a free agent on Jan. 26.
“Playing football puts me in the place where I want to be in life,” Carter said. “Any place I can do that consistently is where I want to be.”
He grew up in the spotlight as the son of Cris Carter, a 16-year NFL veteran and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Carter is close to his family and said he talks daily to his father and mother, who live in Boca Raton, Fla.
“I view my dad as one of my friends and we talk about everything,” Carter said. “It’s just about life and not so much football stuff, because we’ve talked about that for years. It’s about life, staying cool and making sure that everything that I need to do as a man (is done). I have to take care of stuff at home and I still have to pay my bills back in Florida. He’s just being a dad and everything is cool.”
Many of Carter’s new teammates were aware of his reputation before he was signed. The receivers have grown to appreciate his skills and personality during camp.
“He’s a terrific athlete, terrific football player, and a great receiver,” Rob Bagg told Kevin Mitchell of The StarPhoenix. “His DNA growing up ... when I started watching football, his dad was just a monster. You get what you thought you might get out of him — he’s just a baller, and it turns out he’s a great guy and a great teammate, as well.”
Carter wants to fill those roles and more with the Riders.
“I love being the energy guy, coming out and getting everybody ready and making everybody laugh,” he said. “I also love being a dependable playmaker. When we’re down and we need something, I want to be the guy who comes up with that play.”
When we’re down and we need something, I want to be the guy who comes up with that play.